yellot00tr

iTrader: (1)

i dunno why the pics came out a little wierd-maybe because i just copied them from the microsoft word document, but here ya go:


BASIC GUIDE TO INSTALLING RAAMmat – BY RICK MCCALLUM, RAAMaudio

Here is what I recommend for a great general sound deadening solution for all vehicles, for audio competition we will have a more comprehensive guide in the near future. This guide was developed from years of experience and a lot of customer feedback, it works very well.

Tools:
Utility knife, used to cut and trim the mat and to rub it down into corners.
Heat gun, only used if really cold out to warm up the metal, mat or both, not needed for most installs.



Roller, so little need with RAAMmat that we have never sold them or given cheap ones away as sales gimmicks ;) Of course you can pick one up at your local hardware store if you want to use it.


I) Front/Rear Doors (With Speakers):


Remove door panel and plastic moisture barrier; toss the barrier in the trash.


Place one layer of mat on outer door skin and overlap the seams,


cover at least 3/4ths of the surface area. Place two additional smaller layers, about 12" sq., behind the speakers, then place one patch of closed cell foam on top of those layers.


Check for loose wires, cables, etc., inside the door, secure with foam tape, tie wraps, etc.

Seal up the door access holes with a piece of thin galvanized tin, anodized aluminum or perforated aluminum

(Aluminum screen door repair panels from your local hardware store work just fine). We prefer perforated aluminum as low in weight, easy to form but it is a bit hard to find locally. To secure it we use self taping sheet metal screws.

If you have door lock rods to work around you can slip some wire loom over them and bend the metal to make sure not binding then mat up to but not touching the rods.

Then install one layer of mat over the whole inner door metal, overlapping the seams by 1/2", seal all air passages possible, cut the mat back around 1" from edge of door panel to allow proper fitment and cut approx a 1" clearance around the door panel mounts.


Add a layer of 1/8" closed cell foam (Ensolite is best) to the top of the mat, cut around all mounting points.


To make sure the door panel will fit back on properly; cut back around 1/4" from the edge of the panel.

Next tap on the door trim panel, any resonating areas can be matted on the back side. Usually, about 1/4 to 1/3 of the surface is enough. Install the panel and test the door; slam it a few times and listen for rattles, etc.

DOORS WITHOUT SPEAKERS:
Follow steps 4-7 above, matting the outside door skin is not required unless you just want a more solid thump when shutting the door;)


Kick panels:
Remove the kick panel trim and look for hole under the pad there, usually opens up to the lower A pillars, a great place for road noise to enter the vehicle. Seal them up with some mat and a layer of foam, you can even add more foam to the back of the trim panel if you wish.


Rear Side Panels/Outer Metal Skin:

One layer of mat over the area then a layer of foam to absorb ambient noise. Notice, not all areas are fully covered; great results will still be achieved by matting the less supported center areas of each location.


Rear hatch:

Same as rear doors without speakers.


Floor:

As in most cars, very little factory deadening is present.



Place one layer of RAAMmat most everywhere, full coverage not required as long as you cover the more centralize and less supported ones, you can skip the factory deadened areas to save on materials.


Then, tap on the floor and add a second and sometimes a third layer to the resonating areas only. Once an area is no longer resonant, there is little to gain with adding more RAAMmat.


Add a layer of ensolite, best to cover all areas possible, especially the wheel wells, and inside the rear side panel areas. On the floors less supported, meaning flat and more resonate prone ones a second layer of foam can be added. When doing two layers you can add some strips of mat between the layers in key noise areas to absorb acoustical energy in those trouble spots.

Roof:
Not usually needed as it achieves the least beneficial results for a lot of effort but if going all out, then most certainly do so. The best advice is to wait until the rest of the vehicle is done, then take it for a drive, listen to your system, and decide if you want that last little bit of improvement. One layer of RAAMmat is the most that should be needed with the possibility of some patches in the middle of the least supported areas. Then cover it with a solid layer of closed cell foam.

Run any wiring you need to over the foam, tape it in place with some strips of duct tape, install the carpet and all trim seats, etc, and enjoy the new quite and more comfortable ride

pillage

great walk through. I need to do mine I just am too lazy to take everything out. Because it is winter and cold very cold

spintc

Does anyone know of any shop around San Jose, CA that does this?

taek

wow...somebody in socal??/